Former TSA officer gets prison term in drug trafficking case

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A former Transportation Security Administration officer has been sentenced to 25 years in prison on drug trafficking conspiracy and gun charges.

The U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release 50-year-old James Blunder of Charlotte was sentenced Tuesday after his conviction in July 2017.

Court documents, exhibits, witness testimony and testimony at the sentencing hearing showed Blunder was part of a conspiracy between 2002 and 2016 responsible for trafficking large amounts of cocaine and crack cocaine.

Prosecutors said Blunder and his co-conspirators transported and distributed the drugs in Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville and elsewhere. Officials said while Blunder didn’t use his position at Charlotte Douglas International Airport to traffic narcotics, he relied on it to avoid being caught by law enforcement.